


Orion and Johanna

by Ramalhinho



Category: House of Night - P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Genre: Blind Character, F/M, Short One Shot, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 12:45:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7222891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ramalhinho/pseuds/Ramalhinho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Orion's the first blind vampyre in millennia. Joahanna is a recently changed vampyre looking for her place in the world. This is how they found themselves and each other. Oneshot</p>
            </blockquote>





	Orion and Johanna

**Author's Note:**

> So, I haven't read all the books, but I do know there is a blind character is the final ones, so let's just assume this is set before the events in the book series take place =)  
> I apologise in advance for any errors about the fandom, and the usual disclaimer: House of Night does not belong to me, it belongs to PC and Kristen Cast. These events and characters, however, do, so please do not use them without warning me ^^

Orion’s POV  
My forehead explodes in pain and I double over. I don’t even have much time to consider the fact that I am alone in my room and if I am dying I’ll die alone when I feel the burning expand across my forehead to my cheeks. I am not dying – I am Changing.  
The door opens and I can hear my roommate Peter blabbering “Orion, you’re gonna be la…” when he suddenly stops mid-sentence and I feel his hand in my back, and then, as suddenly and unexpectedly as it started, the burning stops and I lift my head. “Dude, you’ve Changed!” he says with obvious delight. I should be happy too, I survived the Change and I am now a vampyre. But alas, I’m terrified that this dreaded day has finally come – until now I had only been the talk of this House of Night, now I’m going to be the talk of a whole society: I am the first blind vamp in centuries. Millennia, in fact.  
“Yeah, it seems that way” I mumble and I can feel Peter freak out beside me – he’s sort of a drama queen (drama king?) so I ask “Can you please get Clark?” he doesn’t answer and I assume that, once more, he’s nodding “Peter, I don’t know if you’re nodding. Blind, remember?”.  
“Um, yeah, sure, sorry, on my way… I sort of forgot… again” he panics. I reach out in his general direction and I feel him walk into my hand, so I grab his shoulder. “It’s OK, really. Just… don’t tell anyone just yet...” I just know this is going to spread like wildfire and in no time it’ll have reached the High Priestess’ ears. The High Priestess that just happens to be my sister and who’s going to drown me in happiness not giving me time to think clearly about it. She’s dreamed of this ever since she was a fifth former and heard for the first time the story of the blind vampyre who’d lived during the Greek Era and had a constellation named after him. Of course, the human’s version of the tale has him regaining his sight and not a single mention of him being a vamp, apparently the human minds found it difficult to associate blindness with greatness back then.  
I hear Peter’s fading footsteps after the door closes and I touch my forehead, but it doesn’t feel any different than what it felt a few moments ago. Jeez, had it not been the pain I wouldn’t even have known I’d Changed. There hadn’t been a blind vampyre for millennia… how was I going to do this? Nor for the first time I wondered if it hadn’t all been an error.  
As soon as the not so unusual thought crossed my mind, I felt surrounded by love and warmth, and a soft hand holds mine in a strong but gentle grip.  
“Don’t ever doubt yourself, Orion. I chose you and I love you” the voice is ethereal and sweet, and, at the same time, serenely filled with an immortal power.  
“Nyx?” – I ask in a barely audible whisper, feeling my heart beat faster and a smell of earth and nature surrounds me.  
“Orion” the Goddess continues softly, motherly “You don’t need to see me to know I’m always with you. In here” she places her hand above my heart “Don’t panic thinking about what you are not. You already know what you are: you belong to the Night, with me. Do not forget that” Nyx concludes and I feel the barest hint of fresh lips against my forehead.  
The door creaks as it opens and I’m alone once more.  
“Orion” I hear Clark, my mentor and brother-in-law, say following with a hearty chuckle.  
“What?” I ask self-consciously, suddenly realising I have no idea what tattoos I’ve been gifted with. His hand touches the back of my right hand and I instinctively wrap my hand around his bicep, waiting to be led away to whatever ritual vamps go through after the Change.  
“Your tattoos are stars. Actually, they’re always the same ones: a repetition in various sizes and orientations of one constellation.” he informs me, his voice serious now, but still with a hint of humor.  
“Orion’s” I say before he needs to - the giant whose name I chose that had in reality been the last blind Vampyre - and I remember the Goddess’s voice «You already know what you are».

 

Johanna’s POV  
As soon as the High Priestess tells me I will not be needed tonight I flee the House of Night and decide to go walking among the town. It’s barely 4am and most humans are already fast asleep by this time, which means that if I stay clear of the clubbing district I should be able to find the solitude I’m looking for.  
It’s barely been two weeks since I came to this House of Night to work as a healer, but I already feel sick after all these days copped up inside those walls. Besides being the healer I’m also a history teacher, and I love the modern era: the way humans and Vampyres alike built great cities with high buildings that seem to reach for the sky. Not a very popular opinion among vamps, who usually seek to differentiate themselves from humans and who tend to think that everything made by humans is inferior. Besides, apart from loving the act of teaching, I’ve never been much of a talker and I prefer solitude to crowds and I have a need of always moving, finding it difficult to stay for a long period of time in the same place.  
As I walk silently trough the deserted city I feel nausea in the mere thought of staying locked inside the school more than I have too. I breathe in and out slowly, absorbing the cold night, heading to the city’s park, which is actually more of a wood, being exactly what I need tonight. I’m starting to lose myself in thoughts when I pass by a mirrored building and catch a glimpse of myself.  
I’ve gone through the Change recently, barely one year ago, and haven’t really had the time to become used to the new me: staring too long at myself in the mirror has always seemed superfluous and superficial, but now I can’t help it. I stare at the image that stares back: short and petite, and a little on the chubby side, the girl looking at me through the mirror has blonde hair with brown and silver highlights giving it a unique texture that can’t be found in hairdressers and it’s obviously natural, with soft curls cascading to her mid-back. Her eyes are light blue with a darker borderline and she has a little button nose and soft light pink lips alongside pale skin with just a hint of colour due to the cold wind blowing around. All this is ordinary, familiar even: I haven’t changed that much since I was first marked. What’s new and terrifying in a pleasurable and proud way are the sapphire tattoos that frame her eyes: a crescent moon in the middle of the forehead with two snakes intertwined in each other going down each side, making a total of four snake heads with tongues lashing out at the moon as if they’re going to taste it and four snake tails finishing in her cheekbones: the inner ones below the eyes and the outer ones just beside the ears. These tattoos are strong and feral and I still think of the one wearing them as “she – the girl in the mirror” and not “me”.  
I shake my head and keep walking upon realising I’m wasting precious time gazing at myself, something I can do just as easily, if I so desire, in my room back at the House of Night. It doesn’t take long for me to reach the woods and I seat in a rock by the little stream that goes by: it’s not a natural stream, but one built by human hands, and it’s beautiful nonetheless. Nyx’s our Goddess and everything made by us is also her work shining through. And by us, I mean both Vampyres and Humans: we may give her different names and honour her in different ways, but the Goddess is still the Goddess to everyone.  
From inside the backpack I brought I retrieve a small floating water lantern and lit it, placing it in the small stream. I hold it there, for a moment, with my hands below the water surface and I calm my breath feeling all the elements around me: the earth beneath my knees surrounding me with a scent of wood and pine trees, the wind blowing my hair everywhere and the water rushing by my hands which are cupped around the warm little candle’s fire. It’s not hard to find spirit within me either, there’s always this feeling of inner peace and happiness that comes into me whenever I decide to stop and feel the Goddess that lives within me as she lives within all of us, even if it’s just for a moment in the middle of a busy day.  
“I’d… I’d just like to find my place, Nyx. Not to feel so alone anymore” I whisper letting the candle go. For a moment I could swear I heard a soft voice filled with immortal power whisper beside me “You are not alone. I am with you.”  
As I was going to turn my head I hear a noise and realise there are four human teenagers looking at me. They are rather large and sport football shirts, alongside beers on their hands and a crazed look in their eyes, and they are already coming in my direction.  
“Look, it’s a Vamp” says one of them, looking at me with malevolence in his eyes. I quickly scramble up but I’m almost paralysed in fear: I’ve never been good with fighting and before I have time to process what’s happening one of them has already locked my arms behind my back.  
“She’s not as beautiful as you’d think, for a vamp, at least” he mocks and I make an effort to keep my face straight. I will not give them the satisfaction of knowing they touched one of my weak points.  
“Told ya they’re not that special” slurs another of the teenagers “But she’ll do for what we have in mind!” he says and starts to mess with my blouse. I suddenly realise what’s going to happen and try to wriggle my way out but the guy holding me down is too strong.  
“Don’t pretend you don’t want it; it’s not like it’s not common knowledge you vamps are sluts!” he laughs.  
I close my eyes, knowing I won’t be able of getting away of this situation by strength, so I use my mind instead. Oh, please, Nyx, don’t let them see through me.  
“Touch me with a finger and I’ll make sure you and your family burn.” I say with as much fierceness I can muster, sending the Goddess I silently thanks for managing to keep my voice from shaking. I feel the hold lessen a little bit but one of the boys is already saying there’s no way I can do that, after all, if I could, my eyes wouldn’t be as wide and terrified as they are, and the hold tightens even more, starting to bruise my wrists.  
Suddenly, the world it’s black and I can’t see a thing. It’s like all the light has been sucked out of it, but before I can panic I once more listen to that wonderful immortal voice.  
“Johanna, trust me. Do not panic.”  
The teenagers scream but don’t let go. “It’s her, she’s going this!” one of them yells. The one holding me starts twisting my arm and I’m afraid he’s going to break it “You stop whatever you’re doing!” he says, twisting it more.  
I hear what seems like a punch and suddenly he drops my hands and I fall to the ground, massaging my sore wrists.  
“You will leave now” I hear a strong masculine voice say. “Or else, this is not going to be pretty.”  
One of the teenagers starts speaking but, by the sound of it, is smacked shut.  
“As you can see, you are helpless in the dark. I am not.” The man says once more “Leave now!”  
“He’s also a vamp!” one of the teenagers screams and then I hear them running and falling, but I still can’t see a thing. I feel hands lifting me slowly, big, callused wands that remind me of the Warriors of Erebus. After a few more moments he says “They’re gone now” and I can see again, finding myself face to face with the most stunning Vampyre I’ve ever laid my eyes upon.  
He’s as dark as I am fair, with olive skin and black hair caught in a ponytail which only accentuates more the strong curve of his jaw. Tall with broad muscular shoulders, his sapphire crescent is surround by stars and I slowly realise they’re not randomly placed but in a repetition of the same pattern, which I eventually recognise as the constellation Orion, surrounding the most amazing pair of green eyes I’ve ever seen and that seem to be staring directly at my soul.  
“Thank you…” I say, still shaken. He starts to let go of me but I lose my balance and he strengthens his hold on me once more.  
“Are you alright?” he asks, concern lacing his voice.  
“I think I’m just shaken… What was that?” the words have already left my mind when I notice he’s angled his head down self-consciously.  
“That’s… uhhh… I did that… I can, you know, call the darkness of the night to me so that there’s no light around me anymore” he mumbles, and when he looks up again I notice his eyes aren’t quite meeting mine but stating somewhat to the right of my face, although he’s not off by much, and I have a sudden realisation.  
“You’re blind!” I blurt out, but before I have time to apologise he’s already smiling  
“You’re quite observant, it usually takes longer before people notice. I’m Orion” he says, bowing slightly.  
“I’m Johanna. It’s a pleasure to meet you” I reply, relived I didn’t offend him with my lack of filter. “We should head back to the House of Night, it’s almost dawn”  
He lets go of me once more and this time I manage to keep myself on my feet even though my heart is racing, throbbing against my ribcage in an almost audible way.  
He takes something of his pocket and I as he assembles it I realise it’s a cane, much like what I’ve grown accustomed to associate with blindness, except this one is black. Before I can ask anything he’s already speaking. “It’s more inconspicuous this way… the white stands out too much at night, or so I’m told” he said, chuckling by my side. I noticed we was completely sure of himself while leaving the park and navigating the city’s streets, but then, why wouldn’t he be?  
We keep talking all the way to the House of Night and it wasn’t until we are at the door that I realise who he is. I feel pretty dumb, since he is the only known blind vamp in millennia, but still, I hadn’t really connected the gallant man by my side with the current judo champion on the Houses of Night competition, which basically means, in the world.  
Once inside, I thought we’d each go on our ways since it was nearly down and I was safe, but Orion insists he’ll take me to my room.  
“But, it’s almost dawn… Won’t the sun be already up when you go back to the Sons of Erebus building?” I ask concerned, knowing quite well it will be. We have less than 5 minutes until sunrise.  
“It will, but believe me or not, the sun isn’t a problem for me…” he chuckles, grabbing my hand “But I do appreciate your concern” he finishes softly smiling, while still looking straight ahead.  
We hold hands all the way down to my room and once there I get on my tiptoes and place a small kiss on his lips. His hand is placed gently but firmly in my back and I can feel him smile against me, making my own lips curve the widest smile I’ve managed for a long time.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow” Orion says softly “Johanna…” my name rolls off his lips in a honeyed fashion and I can’t help the flutter in my lower abdomen.  
“Yes, you’ll see me tomorrow… Orion” I answer remembering the words I had heard earlier tonight… «You are not alone».

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is more than welcome, especially since this is my first work on AOO =)  
> I apologise for any grammar/spelling errors thay may have ocurred and will be happy to correct them if you point them out


End file.
